Long Beach officials protect river after ammonia leak

LONG BEACH - Residents near Daisy Avenue and Anaheim Street were told to stay indoors early Saturday after an ammonia spill that threatened the Los Angeles River.

Fire officials immediately protected a storm drain leading to river. No serious contamination or injuries were reported.

The spill was reported at 4:56 a.m. by a passerby who called about a strong odor, said Capt. Jim Arvizu of the Long Beach Fire Department.

The odor was reported near Long Beach Cold Storage and Logistics at 625 W. Anaheim St., near the Long Beach (710) Freeway.

"Our guys know that facility very well, it being so close to the fire station here," Arvizu said. "And if it's an ammonia smell, it's most likely coming from that facility."

Firefighters went inside the business and shut off the main valve of the product. A hazardous materials team found 100 to 200 gallons of water with ammonia on the ground near the storm drain, officials said.

They also discovered that there was a small leak in the 4,000- gallon diffuser tank that contained the ammonia.

The leak was fixed at 8 a.m., he said. No injuries were reported and no evacuations were ordered, he said.

"Outside the facility we were never near anything we thought was dangerous enough for evacuation," Arvizu said.